[osreb]

The tradition of Krewes tossing out handouts to parade onlookers -- or "throws" in New Orleans parlance -- dates back to Renaissance Europe?

That's where the festival custom started in which lords and ladies would hurl mead and ale at revelers. Some historians believe the tradition has even more ancient roots. Pagan peasants would toss grains at their fields in the springtime, as a show of gratitude to the deities for allowing them to survive the bitter winters.